John Wark, Middlesbrough FC Player at Ayresome Park Football Stadium, August 1990.

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One of football’s biggest names of the modern era turned out for the Boro - but would never appear in a list of the club’s all-time greats.

John Wark was the name: a legendary Scottish international midfielder who made 611 league appearances over 23 seasons and almost 800 in all competitions.

He was young European player of the year in 1981, won the UEFA Cup and FA Cup with Ipswich, two First Division titles with Liverpool, was Ipswich’s player of the year for the fourth time at the age of 36 and finally hung up his boots a couple of months short of his 40th birthday.

Yet Wark, who was widely regarded as one of Britain’s top players at his peak, spent a rather innocuous season with the Boro.

This came in 1990-91, when Wark was snapped up by Boro boss Colin Todd on a free transfer following contractual disagreements with Ipswich.

Wark, who signed a two-year deal with Boro, was quite a signing at the time, despite having reached the age of 33.

He was still playing to a high standard, winning the player of the year award with Ipswich in his previous two seasons.

He had been used largely as a midfielder at both his previous clubs, Liverpool and Ipswich, but Todd felt that Wark could do a job for the team at centre-back.

In the event, he still played most of his 39 league and cup games for the Boro in midfield.

He was sound, drawing on all his years of experience, but without ever looking like the great player that he once had been.

John Wark, Middlesbrough FC Player, Rumbelows League Cup, Man of the Match, September 1990. (Match v Tranmere played 3rd September 1990).

I liked John. He had no airs or graces.

He worked hard enough for the team, producing several man of the match performances, without ever looking like he really belonged on Teesside.

I felt as if he had been dropped into a strange place, many miles from home.

Maybe he didn’t stand out because he regularly switched positions. Maybe it was because he never permanently moved to Teesside from his base in Ipswich.

He always wanted the ball when it came anywhere near him but sometimes looked a little ungainly as a centre-back, and for that reason I don’t think Boro got the best out of him.

He started well, and grabbed one of his trademark goals in only his third league game, scoring the winner against Notts County at Ayresome Park.

Wark, who is Ipswich’s third highest goalscorer of all time with 179 goals, went on to score only once more for Boro when netting in a 4-0 romp against Port Vale.

One of his shining moments came when he returned to Ipswich Town with Boro on Boxing Day, 1990.

It must have been a strange feeling for him, wearing the Boro’s shirt at Portman Road, but Wark strolled around the pitch, controlled the game from midfield and had a superb game as Boro won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ian Baird.

John Wark, Middlesbrough FC Player at Ayresome Park Football Stadium, August 1990.

John’s last game for Boro brought arguably his worst performance, when he looked lost at the back as Boro were taken apart by Bristol Rovers and went down 2-0.

The game, however, was played on Bath City’s rock-hard, bumpy and sloping Twerton Park pitch, which was hardly representative of a typical league ground.

Overall, I felt that Wark had played his part in a vastly improved Boro campaign as Todd lifted the team from fourth bottom position in 1989-90 to a place in the play-offs.

Unfortunately, John was completely left out of the two play-off games against Notts County - which Boro lost on aggregate - but he was a popular figure in the dressing room.

Naturally, he was upset when he was one of 11 players transfer listed by Todd at the end of the season.

Todd wanted to make massive alterations to the squad, despite the improvements made on the playing field.

However he never had the chance, resigning his post following disagreements with the Boro board of directors.

Wark did not last beyond that summer either.

Incoming boss Lennie Lawrence wanted his players to live within a close proximity of Ayresome Park and, as Wark lived in Ipswich, he reached a settlement over the remaining year of his contract, and became a free agent again.

It was no surprise, following his huge contribution in his two previous stints with Ipswich, that he was eventually offered a contract by the Suffolk club.

Since hanging up his boots, Wark has retained strong links with Ipswich and now works in corporate hospitality at Portman Road.

One of Wark’s team-mates, both at the Boro and at Ipswich, was Tony Mowbray.

Tony Mowbray

When Wark spent his year at Boro, it coincided with Mowbray’s last full season following an exceptional Boro career in which he made 406 league and cup appearances.

The pair were occasional centre-back partners during that spell, and then again at Ipswich, who Mogga joined from Celtic in 1995.

Like Wark, Mowbray became a big favourite at Ipswich.

He was appointed team captain and went on to make 128 league appearances over five seasons for the Tractor Boys.

He scored an equalising goal at Wembley in the 2000 Division One play-off final victory against Barnsley, which Ipswich won 4-2.

This turned out to be his last appearance for Ipswich, because he hung up his boots before Ipswich started their Premier League comeback.

However Mogga took up a coaching role at this time under manager George Burley, and learned the ropes during a successful period in Ipswich’s history.

This was eventually to lead to him becoming a manager himself and taking over the reins at the Boro.

Mowbray was Ipswich’s coach when they completed a Premier League double over Boro in season 2000-01, winning both games by 2-1.

Burley and Mowbray guided Ipswich to fifth place that season, being pipped for fourth place and a Champions League place by Liverpool on the last day of the season.

However the Tractor Boys qualified for the UEFA Cup, as they did the following year through the “Fair Play League”, despite being relegated back to the Championship.

When Burley was sacked, Mogga was caretaker manager at Ipswich for four games, before Joe Royle was given a permanent place in the hot seat.

Ipswich have not tasted Premier League football since, and arrive at the Riverside to play Boro on Saturday in a match which features two sides which have dramatically under-achieved in recent seasons.

However, Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy has started to turn things around.

He took over the reins last season when Ipswich were bottom of the Championship, and eventually guided them to safety.

Now they arrive at the Riverside eight points ahead of the Boro, and with a live chance of earning themselves a place in the play-offs.

When Boro went to Portman Road earlier in the season they took an early lead through Albert Adomah, but were then overcome by the nature of Ipswich’s spirited fightback.

Boro need to be stronger on Saturday and try to take control of the game.

It’s easy to feel paranoid after going so long without a goal, but the hoodoo must be broken some time.

When it does, I can envisage a Boro goal fest.

In any case, it’s important for the squad as a whole to finish the season strongly, to stay at the forefront of Aitor Karanka’s thoughts for next season.

No doubt John Wark – and Tony Mowbray – will be watching the outcome of this game with great interest.